Pennsylvania Lawyers for Support in Pittsburgh

Fight for Accuracy.
You need to make sure the court propertly and fairly calculates the spousal and/or child support obligation the first time around. Why is this so important?

Living with Consequences.
It is true that a child support obligation is "aways" modifiable; however, the courts do not want to re-calculate a support obligation again every other week. Once an order is entered, the courts typically look for a true "change in circumstances" before the courts will entertain a petition for modification. In order to calculate support, the court needs to have a meaningful conference or hearing based on reliable evidence. Otherwise, one or both parties will be unhappy with the calculation.

Get Great Legal Advice.
Your lawyer can explain to you the different types of support obligations out there. One is child support. Also significant is spousal support. Whether payment to a current (or former) spouse are termed "spousal support" versus "alimony" will depend on the stage of your case.

Obligation to Pay Support
There are various kinds of support that one party may be entitled to pay for the benefit of a spouse or children prior to, during, and after divorce proceedings are commenced. Each attorney at our firm can help predict the amount and type of support that is (or will be) owed. Very briefly, the types of support are:

(1) SPOUSAL SUPPORT. A spouse can make a claim for spousal support the moment the parties are separated even if no divorce complaint has been filed. The amount of support will be forty percent of the difference between the spouses' incomes if there are no children. If there are children, the amount of support is thirty percent of the difference after the payment of child support is subtracted (discussed below). Our Pennsylvania family law attorneys can evaluate the each party's income and whether any income will be imputed to you our your spouse.

(2) CHILD SUPPORT. Pennsylvania has written guidelines to calculate the amount of child support that is payable. Most cases are relatively straight-forward. Occasionally, a case may need to be designated "complex" if one party has self-employment income and the courts may then allow the parties to conduct formal discovery (exchange of documents) and you may need to consider having an expert testify as to the other party's earning capacity. Our Pennsylvania lawyers also handle issues concerning child support, income, and imputed income issues. As with spousal support (above), we evaluate the basis of all claims for support.

(3) APL. This is a form of supprt for a spouse while a divorce proceeding is pending (subsequent to the filing of a complaint). Our attorneys are ready to negotiate the best possible resolution of any claim for alimony, taking into account the amount of time and money it will take the dependent spouse to become retrained and/or otherwise involves in the workforce.

(4) Alimony. This is a form of spousal support that exists after the final divorce decree is entered. The courts are increasingly reluctant to award alimony unless one party is will remain dependent on the other party for a period of time after all the assets of the marriage have been divided.

Our Pittsburgh and Beaver County lawyers will walk you through the family court system in Western Pennsylvania as it relates to support.

Call us today!